by Edythe Jensen - Aug. 1, 2008 07:45 AM
The Arizona Republic
Chandler is bracing for some belt-tightening it can't control: unexpected cuts in state and federal grants.
Reductions and cancellations of some of the $25.8 million in anticipated grants are already affecting airport projects and will likely reduce how much the city can spend on low-income housing maintenance and rent subsidies, budget manager Dawn Lang said.
The city planned to use the grant money for everything from airport construction and road improvements to police and fire equipment. Cuts aren't likely in the public-safety grants, Lang said.
Airport Manager Greg Chenoweth said he recently received word that airport grants through the Arizona Department of Transportation have been canceled for fiscal 2008-09, although federal money still appears to be available. The state cuts are forcing the airport to postpone improvement projects planned for this year, including replacement of an obsolete computerized weather system for which service is no longer offered, he said.
Affected airport projects include construction of additional parking, new signs and planned improvements to apron areas between hangars and runways just as commercial building is booming around the facility, Chenoweth said.
"There's never a good time to lose this money; we'll have to make do," he said. Cities fear the state won't stop at canceling this year's airport funding and they'll rescind some of the money allocated last fiscal year to ease a massive state budget deficit, Chenoweth said.
Lang said the city has requested slight increases in housing-grant funds to keep up with rising operating and utility costs but is not optimistic those increases will be granted. Because of that, the final housing budget has been delayed and the city is preparing to make cuts in its housing program, she said.
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